Graduate Program in Creative Writing: Low Residency MFA and MA; Certificate in Publishing

Courses

The following is a list of courses offered in this program at Western. The official University Catalog contains more detailed and specific information about degree requirements for this major.

CRWR 520 - SUMMER INTENSIVE I (3 credits)

Introduces students to the entire publishing process from book concept to taking a book out of print, the different models of publishing companies, the book anatomy and basic design, author relations and acquisitions strategies. The theme, title, and student responsibilities in producing the literary journal is also decided upon. Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only.

CRWR 521 - EDITORIAL PRACTICUM I (3 credits)

Involves students in an acquisitions editorial staff that reads and evaluates submissions for publication in the book project for the year. Students review submissions ahead of time and e-mail comments to acquisitions editor on whether work should be considered by entire board, and then participate in online discussions every other week Students also meet online three times to discuss materials from learning modules, and how that information relates to book project and their duties as editors and publishers. Prerequisites: CRWR 520. Co-requisites: CRWR 522, CRWR 523, CRWR 524.

CRWR 522 - EDITORIAL SKILLS (1 credits)

Teaches these topics: what an editor does (and does not do); what "house style" is and how books conform; steps from developmental edit to copyedit to proofread; and appropriate interaction with authors. Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only. Prerequisite: CRWR 520. Co-requisites: CRWR 521, CRWR 523, and CRWR 524.

CRWR 524 - BUSNS MODELS FOR PRESS HOUSES (1 credits)

Familiarizes students with traditional publishing house models such as nonprofit, for-profit, academic press, and trade press, as well as the emerging online electronic delivery models of publishing. This is offered as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory credit. Prerequisite: CRWR 520. Co-requisites: CRWR 521, CRWR 522, CRWR 523.

CRWR 525 - EDITORIAL PRACTICUM II (3 credits)

Involves students in an acquisitions editorial staff that will select, proof, and ready submissions for publication of the book project for the year. Students participate in online discussions every week, meeting as an editorial board to select submissions for publication in the book project for the year. Students finalize selections, proof work, and ready book for publication. Also meets online three times to discuss materials from learning modules, and how that information relates to book project and their duties as editors and publishers. Offered for Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory credit. Prerequisites: CRWR 521. Co-requisites: CRWR 526, CRWR 527, CRWR 528.

CRWR 526 - DESIGN AND LAYOUT (1 credits)

Provides students with an understanding of such design and layout consideration as typography, use of graphics, cover design, interior book layout, creating an index, interaction with printers, as well as alternative considerations for electronic and e-reader delivery. Offered for Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory credit. Prerequisite: CRWR 521. Co-requisites: CRWR 525, CRWR 527, CRWR 528.

CRWR 527 - MARKETING AND SALES (1 credits)

Familiarizes student with the topics of 1) the role of the author in marketing and selling a book; 2) the marketing done prior to book publication and what happens after release; 3) effective public relations; 4) sales model-direct, bookstores/retail, hybrid distributions; and electronic promotion, marketing, and delivery; 5) selling books in-house by team, by distribution, and by commissioned reps; 6) tracking and evaluating sales. Offered for Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory credit. Prerequisites: CRWR 521. Co-requisites: CRWR 525, CRWR 526, CRWR 528.

CRWR 530 - SUMMER INTENSIVE II (3 credits)

Focuses on final preparation of the product as well as formulating and launching a marketing plan for distribution. This is offered for Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory credit. Prerequisite: CRWR 525.

CRWR 597 - ST: WRITING THE ROCKIES (2 credits)

This course is a special topics option, not required for the certificate, and only offered at need. This is offered for Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory credit. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

CRWR 597 - ST: SCREENWRITING ASSISTANSHIP (2 credits)

This course is a special topics option, not required for the certificate, and only offered at need. This is offered for Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory credit. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

CRWR 597 - ST: TEACHING ASSISTANCESHIP (2 credits)

This course is a special topics option, not required for the certificate, and only offered at need. This is offered for Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory credit. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

CRWR 600 - SUMMER ORIENTATION MFA II (1 credits)

Focus on learning mastery of online tools, attending faculty and student readings, and meeting with non-residency mentors during first summer; focus on attendingpresentations and participating in workshop sessions during second summer; and focus on presenting student thesis as well as attending and participating in other readings during third summer. Must be repeated three times for credit.

CRWR 600 - MFA ORIENTATION III (1 credits)

Focus on learning mastery of online tools, attending faculty and student readings, and meeting with non-residency mentors during first summer; focus on attendingpresentations and participating in workshop sessions during second summer; and focus on presenting student thesis as well as attending and participating in other readings during third summer. Must be repeated three times for credit.

CRWR 600 - SUMMER ORIENTATION MFA I (1 credits)

Focus on learning mastery of online tools, attending faculty and student readings, and meeting with non-residency mentors during first summer; focus on attendingpresentations and participating in workshop sessions during second summer; and focus on presenting student thesis as well as attending and participating in other readings during third summer. Must be repeated three times for credit.

CRWR 600 - SUMMER ORIENTATION (1 credits)

Focus on learning mastery of online tools, attending faculty and student readings, and meeting with non-residency mentors during first summer; focus on attendingpresentations and participating in workshop sessions during second summer; and focus on presenting student thesis as well as attending and participating in other readings during third summer. Must be repeated three times for credit.

CRWR 601 - FUNDMT WRITING GENRE FICTION I (2 credits)

The primary foundation and introduction for the genre fiction track, covering a wide variety of topics including: proper manuscript format, understanding of basic principles of fiction (such as plot and dialogue), the Monomyth, archetypal characters, and voice. Students complete a short story during the course and critique each otherâ€™s work in a group setting. This course also lays the groundwork for students to work efficiently during the online portions of the program as well as within their own writing process.

CRWR 602 - FUNDM WRITING GENRE FICTION II (2 credits)

Begins the process of students planning their theses, using instructor-provided tools on world building, novel outlining and planning techniques, and story arc considerations for longer work. At the end of this course, students are prepared to submit their thesis outline and synopsis to their adviser and move forward during the following year to write it for completion the next spring.

CRWR 604 - CAREER PLANNG FOR GENRE WRITER (2 credits)

Assists students in preparing a detailed career plan covering the 12 to 24 month period after graduation, including writing, submission, and networking plans. On completion, students have a clear roadmap to follow in the years ahead. In addition, students prepare to give a public thesis reading during the residency.

CRWR 608 - GNRE WRT I-ROMNCE MYSTERY FICT (6 credits)

The primary genre writing course for the first semester of the program. Students complete exercises, excerpts, and shorter works in the primary subgenres of romance and mystery fiction, including romantic suspense, historical romance, detective fiction, and thrillers.

CRWR 609 - GNRE STD I-ROMNCE MYSTERY FICT (6 credits)

The primary genre reading course for the first semester of the program. Students study a wide variety of subgenres, including romantic suspense, historical romance, detective fiction, and thrillers, among others, to build a detailed understanding of the specific tropes and hallmarks of each subgenre and how to apply them to their own work.

CRWR 618 - GSII:WSTN SPEC YOUNG ADLT FICT (6 credits)

The primary genre reading course for the second semester of the program. Students study a wide variety of subgenres, including westerns, science fiction, epic fantasy, supernatural, and middle grade works, among others, to build a detailed understanding of the specific tropes and hallmarks of each subgenre and how to apply them to their own work.

CRWR 619 - GWII:WSTN SPC YOUNG ADLT FICTN (6 credits)

The primary genre writing course for the second semester of the program. Students complete exercises, excerpts, and shorter works in the primary subgenres of westerns, speculative fiction, and young adult category fiction, including science fiction, epic fantasy, supernatural, and middle grade works.

CRWR 620 - SHORT FORMS GENRE FICTION WRTG (6 credits)

Provides students with an opportunity to focus strictly on writing in the shorter forms of genre fiction and gives them an immediately marketable portfolio of materials. Instructors cover craft concerns in flash fiction, short-short, short story, and novelette.

CRWR 621 - BUS FUNDMTLS FOR GENRE WRITERS (6 credits)

Provides students a fundamental understanding of the business concerns for writers, including verbal/elevator pitching, query letters, proposal packets, contracts, dealing with editors and agents, and royalty statements. Students are required to complete a master proposal packet, which includes a query letter, synopsis, outline, and the thesis manuscript (if completed, partial if not).

CRWR 631 - SCANSION IMMERSION (2 credits)

Focus on an intensive review of prosody â€“ how to make meter and rhythm work in the poetic line as well as how to discern that structure in the works of others. Prerequisite: Admission to the program.

CRWR 632 - PUBLIC PERFORMANCE (2 credits)

Focus on the quintessence of public speaking, particularly as it applies to the performance of poetry, delivery of lectures, and participation in panels, understanding of the craft of using their voices and their physical presence to deliver creative, critical and pedagogical work orally to the public, and how to participate in conversations with the greatest possible skill and grace. Prerequisite: Admission to the program.

CRWR 633 - POETRY AND MUSIC (2 credits)

Focus on exploring some of the complex relations between these two arts, from theoretical discussion to the practical aspects of writing everything from song lyrics to choral odes to opera libretti.

CRWR 636 - METRICAL TRADS VERSIFICATIN I (6 credits)

Focus on tracing the development of the metrical tradition in English poetry from the beginning to the present. Students read poems in all the major forms (Anglo-Saxon Strong Stress Meter, the ballad, classical imitations, blank verse, the sonnet, iambic tetrameter, etc.) along with historical and theoretical commentary. Students also model such forms and scan their own work and that of others. Students will also trace the development of theories of versification and prosody in English. Students read a wide range of works, many of them by poets, in which they describe their craft and that of others, and they compare theories of and approaches to metrical poetry. In this course students are expected to produce a wide range of short essays on various traditions of versification, along with at least one substantial research paper.

CRWR 638 - HIST OF ENGL LANG POETRY TRANS (6 credits)

Focus on a two-pronged study, first of the historical development and evolution of English, and second, work to understand translating poetry, studying and comparing translations, reading theories of translation and attempting translations. Prerequisites: Proof of second-year, or its equivalent, of reading competency in a foreign language.

CRWR 641 - METRICAL TRADS VERSIFICATN II (6 credits)

Focus on emphasizing advanced topics in metrical composition, e.g. stanza forms, longer forms and sequences, narrative forms, nonce forms (including free verse forms). Students not only practice the forms, but read and scan them along with delving into the history, criticism and theory. The course also selects several major traditions in verse theory and explores them in depth, e.g., linguistic theories of verse; structuralist theories; relations between verse and music; attempt to imitate classical forms in modern languages; etc.

CRWR 643 - HIST FOUND OF ENGLISH PROSODY (6 credits)

Focus on an exploration of the theory and practice of rhythm and rhyme, including all variations, their sources and their traditions in consideration of aesthetic, linguistic, and anthropological theories.

CRWR 646 - NARRATIVE POETRY (6 credits)

Focus on examination, analysis, study, and writing in the narrative genres and modes of poetry, from the ballad to the epic and novel in verse.

CRWR 647 - DRAMATC POETRY AND SATRC VERSE (6 credits)

Focus on examination, analysis, discussion, and writing in all the modes of comic verse, including all the modes of satire (Menippean, Horatian, parodic), to verse-based comic approaches such as light verse, doggerel, childrenâ€™s verse, and more. Additionally, an exploration of dramatic techniques of verse from ancient Greece through the Renaissance, and to modern writers such as T. S. Eliot and up to the present.

CRWR 653 - POETRY BK REV POETRY LIT PED (6 credits)

Close analysis of the best reviews and criticism of the past and present, and practice in writing similar pieces. Second half of the course focuses on a wide range of techniques and materials available to teachers of poetry.

CRWR 661 - FILM HIST ANAL:VISUAL NARRTV (2 credits)

Focus on examination, analysis, and discussion of classic and contemporary films from a screenwriting, story, and character development perspective as well as analyses of theme and motif. Students engage in writing activities and exercises to develop a visual narrative style. All such writing goes towards creating material to fuel the mentoring process in upcoming semesters. The main theme here is: when possible show the story element; donâ€™t have a character say it. Finally the prevailing three- and four-act screenplay structures will be explored.

CRWR 662 - STRY CNFLICT CHAR GENRE SCRWRT (2 credits)

Focus on workshopping of short screenplays and projects along with exploration of story arc, elements of conflict, character development and arc, with an emphasis on film genre choices and styles. Includes proposals for upcoming mentoring semesters, feature-length screenplays, plus an opportunity to practice pitches.

CRWR 663 - SCRNWRTG COMP REP THE OPTION (2 credits)

Mock or actual 'pitch' sessions of the thesis screenplay. Screenwriting contests researched and entered. Writers Guild guidelines and application explored. Agents, options to produce, and independent film potential also explored.

CRWR 665 - SCREENWRITING GENRE (6 credits)

Focus on challenging students to write filmic stories in three distinct genre categories, forcing a growth and flexibility to create meaning across a spectrum of setting, time, and circumstance. Dialogue is permitted but is de-emphasized in favor of a more visual narrative.

CRWR 668 - TELEVISON DRAMA AND SIT COMEDY (6 credits)

Focus on a thorough proposal for both the drama and sitcom is researched and written. The result will be a complete â€œpitchâ€ portfolio including a â€œspecâ€ episode teleplay completed for (both or either) a television drama (and/or) a situation comedy.

CRWR 671 - WRTNG THE 1ST FT-LNGTH SCRNPLY (6 credits)

A thorough review of the existing works in the style and genre of the proposed piece, and a thorough treatment written. Students generate character biographies and a complete story outline. The production is 'pitched' to fellow students along with the mentor. A first draft written and critiqued.

CRWR 675 - WRITING THE TV PILOT (6 credits)

Focus on choosing and writing an original TV pilot for either a one-hour drama series, or a half-hour sitcom. In addition to the pilot script, this course requires the students to pitch the idea, come up with marketing materials â€“ i.e. treatment for the series, outline of the pilot, a series â€œbible,â€ and loglines for at least 4-5 future episodes.

CRWR 678 - ADAPTATION (6 credits)

Focus on taking preexisting source material (books, newspaper articles, videogames, graphic novels etc.) and learn how to begin adapting such into a screenplay. Students examine various forms of adaptation, write a research paper, and write the first act of their own feature adaptation piece.

CRWR 684 - TEACHING AND PEDAGOGY (6 credits)

A guided discussion on pedagogy theory and practice with weekly questions on points of interest, suggested readings, and the opportunity for writing teachers and aspiring writing teachers to discuss challenges and insights about the practice of teaching.

CRWR 690 - SCRNWRTG MSTR'S CAPSTONE PRJ I (6 credits)

Focus on a feature-length screenplay, intended for Hollywood or independent production, proposed including a thorough review of the existing works, treatment, character biographies, and generation of a complete story outline. A first draft of approximately 120 pages written and critiqued.

CRWR 691 - SCRNWRTG MSTR'S CAPSTNE PRJ II (6 credits)

Focus on completion of the screenplay. Several drafts written and developed with the mentor. Following industry preferences, the screenplay should target approximately 100 pages.

CRWR 692 - INDEPENDENT STUDY (3 credits)

Focus on working with a faculty mentor to research, develop, and structure a studentâ€™s particular areas of interest into a written work. May be repeated for up to 12 credits.

CRWR 694 - CAPSTONE (3 credits)

Culmination of the studentâ€™s education at Western. In consultation with his or her adviser, the student completes a single work of genre fiction OR a collection of shorter genre fiction works (such as short stories or novellas) of publishable quality, suitable for public reading, and for thesis binding.

CRWR 694 - SCRNWRTG MSTR'S CAPSTONE PRJ I (3 credits)

Culmination of the studentâ€™s education at Western. In consultation with his or her adviser, the student completes a single work of genre fiction OR a collection of shorter genre fiction works (such as short stories or novellas) of publishable quality, suitable for public reading, and for thesis binding.

CRWR 697 - ST: TEACHING AND PEDAGOGY (6 credits)

Focus on studies of a particular topic of interest to students in the MFA program to be announced each time the course is offered.

CRWR 697 - ST:SHORT FORMS GENRE FICTION (6 credits)

Focus on studies of a particular topic of interest to students in the MFA program to be announced each time the course is offered.

Applications to apply to Western's Low Residency MFA and MA in Creative Writing for Summer 2018 are open.

Western State Colorado University's low-residency Graduate Program in Creative Writing offers an MFA, an MA and a Certificate in Publishing. The MFA and MA have three concentrations: Genre Fiction, Screenwriting for Film and Television, and Poetry with an Emphasis on

The graduate program offers alow-residency MFA and MA curriculum in Genre Fiction, Poetry with an Emphasis on Versecraft (what some call "formal poetry"), and Screenwriting, and a Certificate in Publishing. Students come to Western's campus high in the Rocky Mountains in Gunnison, Colorado, for two weeks each July, participating in our Summer Intensives. MFA candidates come for three summers; MA and Publishing Certificate students come for two.

Each Summer Intensive concludes over the final long weekend of July with our conference Writing the Rockies, which features scores of nationally renowned guest speakers and teachers and is open to the public.

Students attend on-line academic semesters between Summer Intensives. As a result, candidates in all our programs can live and work anywhere during the academic year while pursuing the degree.

Please go here to see a downloadable and printable page about the program.

The non-residency component of each concentration involves both intensive coursework online, including reading and writing assignments and interactive work on discussion boards, along with faculty advising. Students spend a minimum of 25-30 hours per week on writing assignments. Students also participate weekly in threaded synchronous and asynchronous online voice and discussion boards during each term with other students and mentors. Students earn 12 credits each semester for this work (six credits for each mentored course topic).

In the first and second summer residencies, candidates also complete one credit each summer of CRWR 600, learning or updating online tools mastery, attending faculty and student readings, and meeting with non-residency mentors. Third-summer candidates earn one credit attending and participating in critiques and readings for cohorts attending their first and second summers.

The Graduate Program in Creative Writing insists on a high degree of commitment and excellence from degree candidates, all of whom must maintain a 3.0 GPA to complete the program. A minimum grade of B- in each course applied to a degree program is also required. Summer residency courses within concentrations are front-loaded -- that is, these courses require students to prepare for the intensive residency experience by completing pre-assigned reading lists as well as preparing advanced assignments to focus on discussion and qualitative analysis during campus intensives.

MFA candidates in good standing may apply to add a second concentration to their degree by increasing the duration of their program to six semesters and a fourth summer residency. Admission to the second concentration requires a letter of intent and depends on approval from the faculty in both concentrations.

MA candidates pursue the same concentrations as MFA students.

Western’s low-residency MA in Creative Writing focuses on both the craft of creative writing and the pedagogy for the teaching of creative writing. Just as in the MFA, students select one of three emphases: Genre Fiction, Poetry with an Emphasis on Versecraft, or Screenwriting for Film and Television. The program takes thirteen months to complete as a full-time student. The low-residency component of the program involves two online semesters of coursework that use a combination of online writing submissions and critiques as well as regular real-time discussions with writer-mentors and peer students. During each of the two required summer intensives on Western’s Colorado campus, students join an inspiring community of peers as well as attending student and faculty readings, workshops on craft and literature, and master classes. MA students work together with MFA students in almost all classes -- we are one community. Each emphasis in the MA requires comprehensive examinations at the conclusion of coursework, but there is no thesis.

The MA is a good choice for teachers who want to advance their knowledge in a particular discipline, but are not as interested in a terminal degree or in writing a full thesis.

MA candidates may continue into the MFA program at the discretion of the admissions committee.

The one-year Certificate in Publishing prepares students to enter the publishing industry, or to work as an agent or in a publishing house.

Like the MA, the program requires two summer residencies and takes thirteen months to complete as a full-time student. Coursework involves a combination of academic study and practical work with Western's publishing institutions: Western Press Books, the literary journal THINK, and Conundrum Press.

Western’s Graduate Program in Creative Writing is distinctive for three reasons:

1. Innovative Concentrations

Our Concentrations respond directly to emerging markets in both the literary world and in education. We have three concentrations: Genre Fiction (Mystery, Speculative Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, and many more); Screenwriting (Film & Television); and Poetry with an Emphasis on Versecraft (focusing on meter, rhyme, form and genre). We also offer a Certificate in Publishing.

Our program is one of the few in the entire country with a specific focus on commercial genre fiction – from romance and mystery, to westerns, speculative fiction and more. We offer a rigorous and progressive curriculum that gives students strong fundamental skills in all the genres in their first year. In the second year, students then specialize as they work on their thesis novels. What sets us apart is a strong emphasis on a few key things: clear understanding of the genres based on imitation; a high volume of serious, directed reading and writing; completion of work in short fiction at different lengths as well as at least one novel length work, thus ensuring students’ ability to adapt to the marketplace; and finally, the understanding that comes from a rigorous program with feedback from both instructors and peers. Our students leave the program prepared to publish (many do so even before they leave), prepared for careers as writers, and prepared to teach at the undergraduate level.

Most graduate programs in writing drama focus on the stage. Ours focuses on both film and increasingly on TV, where many of the most exciting developments are now occurring. The program’s motto is “We bring Hollywood to you.” Our low-residency format means that students can learn from writers who live and work in Los Angeles, the heart of the industry. Our program includes classes on all the basic genres: shorts, features, spec episodes of TV shows, original pilots, and the basics of adaptation. It is a comprehensive screenwriting program, which also gives an overview of the business, all of it taught by working writers and industry veterans.

Most programs do not teach poetic craft. In contrast, our program is part of a small but growing movement to train students in the basics of poetic language, history and form. We emphasize the study of meter, rhyme, poetic forms and genres more rigorously and intensely than any other program we know. Our students also learn about the history of the art and of the language, about the crucial role of translation, about literary pedagogy, and about how to participate fully in the world of journals, of teaching, and of criticism. Students graduate with a full quiver of skills, ready to participate in all aspects of the literary life.

The Certificate in Publishing offers a rigorous curriculum along with direct experience in the industry, in all media, both in traditional publishing models and new independent publishing methods. In addition to coursework, students produce, from start to finish, a commercial anthology to be released through a mid-sized publisher. Students develop the anthology, solicit, read, and select submissions, which they then edit and work through all stages of production, including proofreading, book design, and cover design. The anthology is released in time for their culminating summer intensive program, where students learn distribution, publicity, and reviews. During this process, students also learn how to edit their own writing, and they regularly critique writing from peers to prepare it for submission to magazines and presses. Throughout, students work with professionals in the publishing industry to gain insight into the rapidly changing field. As part of the curriculum, students may also produce a volume of Manifest West, the literary anthology series of Western Press Books. Students can also work on THINK, the program's national journal of poetry and criticism. Graduates of the Certificate in Publishing Program are prepared to enter the publishing field at traditional publishing houses, to start their own small presses, or to establish a career as independently published authors.

2. Highly Successful Faculty

Our faculty are national leaders. All are highly successful writers, and taken together they have published hundreds of books and authored and directed many films and shows. All have advanced degrees and extensive teaching experience.

Program and Poetry Concentration Director David J. Rothman

Professor Rothman has published or edited ten books of poetry, creative non-fiction and scholarship, with several more under contract. He has also published hundreds of articles in major newspapers and critical and scholarly journals, along with poems in national periodicals such as Appalachia, The Atlantic Monthly, The Kenyon Review, Poetry and The Threepenny Review. He serves as Poet-in-Residence for Colorado Public Radio, was one of three finalists for the recent appointment of Colorado Poet Laureate, and has been a Finalist for the Colorado Book Award. He has also directed a number of independent non-profits outside of academia, including independent presses, scholarly organizations, private schools and arts organizations such as the Crested Butte Music Festival, which he co-founded.

Genre Fiction Concentration Director Russell Davis

Professor Davis is a best-selling author and editor who has written and sold scores of novels and short stories in virtually every genre of fiction. His writing encompasses everything from media tie-in work in the Transformers universe to action adventure in The Executioner series to original novels and short fiction in anthology titles like Under Cover of Darkness, Law of the Gun, and In the Shadow of Evil. He has worked as an editor and book packager, and created original anthology titles ranging from westerns to fantasy. His newest work, The End of All Seasons, a collection of short fiction and poetry, came out in 2013. He is a past president of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.

Screenwriting Concentration Director JS Mayank

Professor Mayank is a Hollywood screenwriter and director who recently signed with ICM Partners in the TV division, which also represents stalwarts like David Shore (House M.D.), Shonda Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy, Scandal), and Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad). Mayank is currently developing several TV shows, including one with producer Matt Gross at Europacorp (Luc Besson's company) and another with producer Vince Gerardis (Game of Thrones). His sci-fi short film EMIT (starring Jack Coleman of Heroes and The Office) played at over 30 festivals world-wide last year.

Certificate In Publishing Adjunct Professor Kevin J. Anderson

Adjunct Professor Kevin J. Anderson is the only finalist to serve as Director of the Certificate in Publishing. He is the author of 140 novels, 56 of which have appeared on national or international bestseller lists; he has over 23 million books in print in thirty languages. Anderson has coauthored fourteen books in the Dune saga with Brian Herbert and over 50 books for Lucasfilm in the Star Wars universe. He has written for the X-Files, Star Trek, Batman and Superman, and many other popular franchises. For his solo work, he’s written the epic SF series, The Saga of Seven Suns, and a sweeping nautical fantasy trilogy, Terra Incognita, accompanied by two progressive rock CDs (which he wrote and produced). He has written two steampunk novels, Clockwork Angels and Clockwork Lives, with legendary drummer and lyricist Neil Peart from the band Rush. He also created the popular humorous horror series featuring Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I., and has written eight high-tech thrillers with Colonel Doug Beason. Anderson holds a physics/astronomy degree and spent 14 years working as a technical writer for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He is now the publisher of Colorado-based WordFire Press, a new-model publisher using innovative techniques and technologies to release books worldwide in print and eBooks. They have released over 300 titles. Anderson is also one of the founders of the Superstars Writing Seminar, which has been one of the premiere professional and career development seminars for writers. He is also an accomplished public speaker on a wide range of topics. He and his wife, bestselling author Rebecca Moesta, have lived in Colorado for 20 years; Anderson has climbed all of the mountains over 14,000 ft in the state, and he has also hiked the 500-mile Colorado Trail.

Our concentration directors have hired comparably qualified faculty to work with them.

Guest speakers at our annual conference Writing the Rockies bring excellence to the campus in the form of lectures, readings, panels, workshops, seminars, and discussion. Recent visitors have included:

Publishing

John Helfers, Larry Meredith, Leah Rogin-Roper, Terrie Wolf

3. Rigorous Curriculum

Our curriculum is designed to inspire excellence at every level. Classes are structured more like those in a music conservatory, an arts academy, a school of architecture or a school of dance than they are like those one would find in an academic department. Students not only study works of art, but imitate them in highly structured and specific ways, the better to learn what it is they themselves want to do in their own work. We also offer courses on pedagogy, on editing, on the business side of writing, on how to write criticism, and more, to teach students how to make it in the world outside the university. In short, our students do not merely exchange manuscripts and critique them. In each concentration they follow a carefully sequenced and rigorous curriculum based on imitating the best work in each field. Then – and only then – when they have begun to master this material, do they finish with a creative thesis.

Western is a beautiful place to study, and students in our low-residency programs love coming to our intensive on campus each July, when the Gunnison Valley is one of the most beautiful places in America.

But while the place is special, it is our concentrations, our faculty and our curriculum that set our graduate programs in creative writing apart from most others. Our concentrations are distinctive, our faculty are excellent, and our curriculum is rigorous. Taken altogether, this combination makes us one of the strongest programs in the country. Read on and discover why.

And, if you want a dlownloadable and printable pamphlet that lays out detail and information about the program, please click here.

Finally, does this program work? Do our graduates succeed?

Judge for yourself -- here is just a partial list of recent publications and successes by our graduates and current students. We are still a young program and we expect that in another decade each year's list will be so long it requires its own web page.

2016

Christopher Barili (Genre Fiction MFA ‘16), writing under the name B.T. Clearwater, has published his thesis novel, Smothered, with Winlock Press.

Clifton Wilder Koons II (Screenwriting MFA ’16) was a Semi-Finalist (Drama Feature) for SECOND CHILDHOOD in the 2016 Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition, a Second Round Finalist (Drama Feature) for TABLOID THEATER in the 2016 Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition, a Finalist (TV Spec) for THE WALKING DEAD: OUTCAST, in the 2015 New York Screenwriting Contest, and a Quarter-Finalist for THE MAN IN THE TYPEWRITER, in the 2015 ScreenCraft Short Screenplay Contest.

Suzanne Lakas (Genre Fiction MFA ‘16) and Steve Visel (Genre Fiction MFA ‘16) were both finalists in the Writers of the Future quarterly competition, and Suzy’s novella was awarded an honorable mention.

Joshua Williams (Poetry MA ‘16) has recently had poems in A Hundred Gourds, Panoply, Englyn, Sonic Boom Journal and Modern Haiku. He also has a chapbook, The Distant Wild, due out in 2017.

2015

Nathan Beauchamp (Genre Fiction MFA ‘15), who co-writes the Universe Eventual series, now has three books out: Chimera, Helios, and Ceres, which just released this past summer.

Kevin O’Shea (Poetry MFA ’15) has several poems in the winter 2016 of The Hopkins Review. The poems "Lost in Townships" and "From a Greenhouse" that appear there were both part of his MFA manuscript: https://muse.jhu.edu/issue/33090.

Michael Pool (Genre Fiction MFA ‘15) is now the Editor-in-Chief of Crime Syndicate Magazine, which publishes crime fiction, and also edited the new anthology Fast Women and Neon Lights: Eighties-Inspired Neon Noir.

Austin Rogers (Genre Fiction MFA ‘15) has a novel out, Sacred Planet, and it just received a nice review from Kirkus, “…An ambitious, ardent launch that sets a stellar precedent for installments to follow.”

2012

Susan Spear (Poetry MFA ‘12) had her opera “The Price of Pomegranates,” with music by Jerome Malek, workshopped at Writing the Rockies 2016. She has been appearing widely in the journals. “In Ordinary Time” is forthcoming in the winter issue of The Anglican Theological Review, “Behind the Wheel” is forthcoming in Measure, and three more are forthcoming in Dappled Things: ”After the Interment,” “Through the Window,” and “...Not Yet Consumed.”

Current Students

Felicia Chernesky (Poetry MFA student) has now published four books in a rhyming seasonal concept series, illustrated by Susan Swan (Albert Whitman & Company, 2013–2015). In order of appearance, they are Pick a Circle, Gather Squares: A Fall Harvest of Shapes; Cheers for a Dozen Ears: A Summer Crop of Counting; Sugar White Snow and Evergreens: A Winter Wonderland of Color; and Sun Above and Blooms Below: A Springtime of Opposites. Pick a Circle, Gather Squares was a 2016 Goldfinch Award finalist. She has sold the the Korean rights (!) to Pick a Circle. The full series has been republished in paperback by Scholastic and is currently available on the Teacher Store. It is also currently available in several Scholastic Reading Club flyers as a set and as a set with read-along CD. She has also published another rhyming picture book, illutrated by Julia Patton (Albert Whitman, 2015): From Apple Tress to Cider, Please! This book has been republished in French (Scholastic Canada, 2016). The Korean rights to this book have also been sold. Finally she has published a prose picture book, illustrated by Nicola Anderson (Albert Whitman, 2016): The Boy Who Said Nonsense.

Stephanie Vance (current 2nd year cohort, Genre Fiction MFA ‘18) will have a flash piece called “13 Signs of the Coming Apocalypse” in Entering the Apocalypse, an anthology from TANSTAAFL press. Also, her story “Quizzical” received an Honorable Mention in the 3rd quarter of Writers of the Future contest.

Alan Wartes, a Screenwriting Bootcamp Alumnus, has been tremendously productive. THE TESLA FILES (short script) was Runner up for Best Sci-fi Short in the 2016 Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting Competition. The script has now been fully produced and is entered in a number of competitions. DOMESTIC (hour-long TV pilot) was a Top 50 finalist in the 2016 Tracking Board Launch Pad Screenwriting Competition, and a Top 10 finalist in the 2016 Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest. THE BOTTLE BUSINESS (feature drama) was a Top Eight finalist in the 2016 Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting Competition and also a Top 10 finalist in the 2016 Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Competition.​

Scholarships

The GPCW is deeply committed to raising funds to support our students. Each year we offer more substantial direct-funding scholarships. Applicants may fill out the scholarship application at the same time as they complete the application for admission. Scholarship applications will be considered only after a student has been admitted to the program.